Where am I?
by Lostinabook101
Summary: When Charlotte is involved in a car crash, she finds herself waking up in Middle Earth. Who will she befriend there? How will she get home? Will she want to go home, or stay in Middle Earth, where the fellowship are about to set out?
1. Chapter 1

Charlotte's day had gone from bad to worse. She had spent the day sitting through the torment that was school, glaring angrily at the clock with the hopeless wish for the hands to move quicker. All the while, waiting for the final bell to ring so she could get home, then go riding. Today though, the odds were most certainly stacked against her. The rain had started almost just as the bell rang, and was continuing persistently as she made her way home, got changed out of the uncomfortable and frankly, disgusting, school uniform and then headed to the yard. Dark indigo clouds masked the sky and it seemed likely to thunder. Still she was determined to ride, determined to get out and blow away the cobwebs left from the long day at school. To forget about everything, just for a little while.

Charlie arrived at the yard already soaked from the miserable trudge there, only made bearable by the hope for the rain to stop. She swiftly tacked up her horse before tugging on her hat, not bothering with any of the usual chores around the stables. She leapt onto the back of her horse, Belle, and flung her feet hastily into the stirrups. Setting off without a backward glance, she started to trot down the path leading away from the yard. The rain worsened, becoming almost torrential by the time she had got onto one of the main trails. With a groan, Charlie realised it was probably best to head home. The quickest route back involved riding across a small road, but there was never a car on it. She continued to trot along the path leading back, heading towards the road. Suddenly, a motorbike engine roared in the distance as thunder clapped furiously overhead. It was all too much for Charlie's horse, who bolted at a flat out gallop towards the road. At first, Charlie wasn't afraid. She knew Belle was a spooky mare, and Charlie was confident she would be able to stop her soon. For now, she clung desperately to her galloped across the road, the road where there was never a car. Almost never. A car was there today. It came flying round the corner, skidding out of control on the slippery road and towards Charlie and her horse. Belle slipped on the road and reared with panic, flinging Charlotte from her back and into the path of the car. It couldn't stop in time, not on the wet road. They say that in the 60 seconds before death, you see your life flash before your collision was too fast for that. Everything just went black.

Aragorn was out on a ride in the forests near Rivendell, enjoying the free time he had before they were to set off to destroy the ring in the coming days. The weather was beautiful, and the forest was quiet and warm which left Aragorn alone with his thoughts. The scent of pine trees was in the air, and needles littered the floor. Everything seemed peaceful. He was barely watching where he was going, when a tiny movement caught the attention of his trained eyes. There was a lump in the distance, barely moving. He trotted his horse on until he reached it, eyes widening in amazement as he realised what the lump was. It appeared to be a girl! She was lying, curled up in a limp ball. "Hello?" he called out. He pulled the hood of his cloak up a bit, wanting to appear as a ranger if he knew this girl. Now he looked closer, she was dressed strangely. She wore tightly fitted trousers, and a strange sweatshirt, both in oddly bright colours. A hard hat of some sort was on her head, but was smashed into fragments. Her clothes were stained with blood, and she seemed to be unconscious. "Hello?" called Aragorn again as he dismounted from his horse. He couldn't see the girl's face, so had no idea of if she was awake or not. Slowly, he approached her, tracker's footsteps silent on the ground. He called out one more time, before reaching out a careful hand to turn her over, so she was lying on her back. It took no effort at all, she was thin and light. Aragorn's brow creased at the sight of her obvious injuries. Now he had a better look, her face was young. The girl had long chocolate coloured hair, which was matted with blood. Her face was deathly pale, which made her long dark eyelashes stand out. The whole right side of her body was battered and bloody, and for a moment Aragorn doubted if she was alive. Leaning forward, he was relieved to hear her breathing, even if it was shallow and haphazard. There was a sense of urgency in his movements now, as he realised she needed care soon if she was to survive. Slipping his arms underneath her, he scooped her up as if she weighed nothing at all and lay her gently over the front of his horse. It must have hurt her, but she didn't move at all. He grimaced, guessing she was deeply unconscious. Keeping one hand on her back to keep the girl in place, he climbed gracefully into the saddle. With a squeeze to his mount's sides, they were off at a speedy canter, back towards Rivendell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just to say that this is my first fanfiction , and I am very much still getting the hang of it. Feel free to review, but please try and at least give constructive criticism and I will do my best to improve. Hate won't really make a difference, as I'm writing this for my enjoyment as much as anyone else's. Thanks **

Chapter 2

Aragorn's horse flew over the ground as they rode back to Rivendell. He too seemed to sense the urgency and desperation in their errand. The thundering echo of hoofbeats filled the otherwise silent air, causing rabbits to flee from the horse's hooves and birds to dart from the trees. Slowing to a trot as they entered the courtyard, Aragorn vaulted off and carefully picked up his precious burden. "Get healers, quickly!" he shouted to someone nearby, as every head had turned to look at his unexpected arrival into Rivendell. He quickly made his way to the nearest empty room that was usually used for healing, knowing the house by heart by now, and lay the girl down on the bed. Her blood soon stained the white sheets, crimson dripping from her deathly pale skin. Just as the door had shut behind Aragorn it was opened again by a pair of elvin healers. "I found her when I was out," he explained. "Do what you can, please." Aragorn stepped back and let the elves get to work. They did their best to heal her many wounds, washed the blood from her face, then bandaged her up. Their hands were nimble and gentle, and efficient at what they did. After around an hour, they told Aragorn that nothing more could be done. "You will have to wait and see now, to see if she wakes," said one.

Aragorn nodded. "I will stay with her," he said thoughtfully. "I am curious to see who this young stray is, and how she ended up here in such a state."

Aragorn was true to his word. He stayed by the bedside, or nearby, for many hours. But he knew his time there was limited, as he had to set off with the fellowship the day after tomorrow. He was thinking of this dilemma, turning it over in his mind, when he heard a strange croaking noise. Glancing over at the bed, he saw the girl's eyes had opened, as had her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear and it seemed as if she was trying to scream, but her mouth was dry and no sound came out. "I'm not going to hurt you," said Aragorn, as if it were obvious. "You're alright." He wasn't experienced in this kind of thing, and was panicking, though it did not show in his voice or expression. Slowly the girl's breathing seemed to slow, and her eyes looked less fearful as they stared into Aragorn's. "Where am I? Who are you? Where are my parents?" she rasped desperately.

"Here," said Aragorn as he passed her a glass of water. She gulped it down eagerly, waiting a moment before repeating her earlier questions. Aragorn regarded her for a moment before he responded. Her eyes, which had remained closed until now, were bright blue, with a dash of hazel across one, bringing light and life to her ashen face. "You are in Rivendell, my lady," he began, "My name is..." he hesitated "Aragorn. I do not know where your parents are. You were found in a forest near to here, with many injuries. Can you remember what happened?"

Charlotte bit her lip in thought. "I think so," she said, after a pause. "I was out riding, and my horse got spooked by thunder. She ran out onto a road and we got hit by a car," said Charlotte, her voice gradually getting quieter.

"A car?" said Aragorn, confused. "I do not know what that is."

Charlotte frowned. "Like, the things powered by big engines that people drive around. You don't have cars here?" she said slowly, then realised the room she was in had no electrical appliances at all. Nothing.

Aragorn shook his head in confusion. He was silent for a few minutes. "For now my lady, I think we must assume that you have somehow come here from another place, be it another world entirely, or another part of the earth," said he, watching her carefully.

"Oh. Ok," replied Charlie softly, though to her it felt anything but ok. She was beginning to feel afraid now, as she realised she was in an unknown place with nobody she knew.

"What is your name?" asked Aragorn politely.

"Charlotte. Or Charlie," said she, still coming to her senses.

"You need to rest, Charlotte. I shall speak with my friends, and when you wake we shall decide what should be done about you."

Charlotte was hesitant about just going to sleep in a strange and unknown place, with complete strangers. Aragorn noticed her anxious expression. "I promise you are safe here. Nobody will harm you," he said, voice gentler than before. Though Charlotte was not convinced, she was tired and aching and her eyelids thought differently to her mind, and were trying desperately to fall shut. Aragorn stood up to leave, and she was asleep again in moments.

When Charlotte woke again, it was just starting to get dark outside. She was alone in the room, but could hear raised voices outside. She recognised Aragorn's, but who could the other man be? Making sure to make no noise, she started to listen into their conversation.

"You left her alone? For all we know she is a spy, and you left her alone?" exclaimed the unknown voice angrily.

"I am confident she is not a spy," said Aragorn, his voice more calm and controlled.

"You have no evidence!"

"What do you have to say she is a spy?"

There was silence again, neither voice speaking. Charlotte heard the swift movement of feet, and a hand started to turn the door handle. She closed her eyes quickly, not wanting them to know that she had been listening in.

"Leave her be," commanded Aragorn, and the door did not open. "If you wish to question her so urgently, you can at least wait until dinner. I will see if she is awake, and she shall come if she is. Gandalf has arrived, and he may know something about where she has come from."

Charlotte heard the sound of retreating footsteps, then another hand on the door. Slowly she heard it creak open, and somebody come in. Nervously she opened her eyes, afraid of the argument she seemed to have caused between Aragorn and the other man. Aragorn smiled over at her as her lids flickered open. "My lady," he said in greeting. Charlotte blushed.

"There's no need to call me that," she told him. Aragorn frowned slightly, but nodded.

"As you wish. It has been requested that you come to dinner, in order for us to decide what we shall do with you," explained Aragorn.

"Ok," said Charlotte. She was being unusually shy, for her, as anyone would be in such a strange place. Looking around at the grandeur of the house, she expected it would be a formal sort of dinner. With an inward groan, she realised she would stand out like a sore thumb amongst the others, in her tatty bloodstained hoodie and jodhpurs. Seeming to read her mind, Aragorn said "You will need something to wear. I will send one of the female elves with something suitable, you can't meet Lord Elrond in that state."

Charlotte did a double take. "I'm sorry, elves?! Did I hear you right?"

"What?" replied Aragorn.

"Elves?" repeated Charlotte

"Is that unusual?"

"Elves aren't real, where I come from."

"Oh," said Aragorn slowly. "Well, they certainly are here," he said, then walked out of the room, leaving Charlotte confused and worried about meeting this so called Lord Elrond. Within a few minutes, a tall woman arrived. At first, Charlie thought she was a normal woman, then noticed her slightly pointed ears and had to restrain a gasp. This must be the elf that Aragorn had spoken of. "Here," said the elf grudgingly, handing Charlie a garment of some sort before walking out of the room and away. Charlie shut the door behind her, and shook out the garment. It was a dress. She groaned, she didn't do dresses. Ever. The elf had gone now though, leaving her no opportunity to argue with her. Charlie considered leaving the clothes she had on on, until she spotted her reflection in a mirror and quickly decided otherwise. She would have to wear the dress. Charlie quickly began to get changed, her bruised and battered limbs complaining as she twisted and wriggled her way into the garment. When she finally had it on, she stole another glance in the mirror. Surprisingly, she didn't look too bad. It could be worse, anyway. Her hair though was another matter entirely. There wasn't anything in the room to brush or comb it with, so Charlie didn't have much options. With a sharp tug, she freed it from the bobble causing her dark, unruly curls to fall around her shoulders. Hastily she wound her hair into one long plait at the side of her head to keep it out of the way, then wrapped the bobble back around the bottom. Satisfied with her appearance, Charlie waited anxiously for Aragorn. Just as she was beginning to wonder where on earth he was, there was a sharp knock at the door. Charlie opened it, to see Aragorn, as expected.

"Follow me," he said gruffly, before turning and setting a quick pace down the hallway. Charlie was tall and long legged, but was still almost jogging to keep up, yet she didn't dare complain. You're a guest here, she kept having to remind herself before she made any of her usual sarcastic comments. Almost bumping into the back of Aragorn as he made a sudden stop, Charlotte steadied herself as the man in front of her opened the door to a large room, where her fate would be decided.


	3. Chapter 3

Where am I?: Chapter 3

Following Aragorn slowly into the room, Charlotte looked around in amazement. The dining hall at Rivendell was beautiful. The walls were painted a bright white, with a variety of flowers draped around them artistically. Doors along one wall opened onto a terrace, where the dark sky could be seen as stars started to peep out of the blanket of the night. Charlotte's eyes travelled to the long oak table, where several people sat. She had to stop herself from gasping in amazement when she noticed their different and unusual appearances. There was an elf at the head of the table, wearing a crown of some form, who she guessed was Lord Elrond, who they had spoken of earlier. He had long hair, like all the elves seemed to, which was dark, as were his eyes. He had a certain presence, which made all eyes drawn to him in respect. Along one side of the table sat another elf with long, white blonde hair, beside whom sat a small but stocky little man with a long beard. Next along were four even tinier men, who were all rather plump. On the other side of the table sat an unremarkable man, then another who was the opposite. A staff leant against the wall behind him. Though he looked old he seemed to exude strength and power, demanding respect without uttering a word, and Charlotte doubted that the staff was needed for walking with. Next to him there were two empty seats. Aragorn took one of them, and Charlotte hurriedly sat in the other at the bottom of the table.

Though everyone turned to look at Aragorn and welcome him, Charlotte seemed to be ignored on the whole. That is, until the blonde haired elf spoke: "Is this the spy?" he said scornfully, turning to glare at her. Charlotte instantly recognised his voice as he who had previously been arguing with Aragorn outside her room. Her gaze hardened.

"I am not a spy," she snapped.

"Why should we believe that?" retorted the elf. The old man looked as if he was about to stop the elf, but Lord Elrond put a hand on his arm.

"Leave him be, for now. Let us see what she has to say."

"Do you really think this would be my story, if I were a spy? Oh, hello, I have no idea where I am and think I may be from another world where I probably died? Really?" Charlotte's voice dripped with sarcasm.

The blonde elf was silent for a moment, boiling with anger. "You still cannot prove that you are not a spy," he said, refusing to back down.

"What proof do you need?" snarled Charlotte, annoyed now. "From what I can tell, it doesn't look as if women have much power here. Why send me?"

Again, Legolas couldn't think of a reply. He looked around the table for support from the others, but was met with mainly neutral expressions. "How can you just sit there when we could be being infiltrated by Sauron?" he exclaimed. "She should be thrown out!"

"Silence, Legolas," said Elrond, voice soft but still just as strong and intimidating. Charlotte was filled with relief, shooting Legolas a triumphant glare across the table. "I apologise, my lady," said Elrond to Charlotte. "Aragorn has told us what you said, about where you came from, so there is no need for you to repeat yourself. However we do need to discuss what we shall do with you. If, as you say, you are from another world, then we could try and find a way to return you there. Is that what you'd like?"

"Yes," replied Charlotte.

"Very well. Gandalf has never seen anything such as this before, though there have been stories of it happening. They were thought to be fairy tales to tell to children. Maybe there could be some truth in them. The only person we can think of to ask advice from now, is Lady Galadriel."

"I don't know who that is," said Charlotte bluntly. "Lord Elrond," she added with a remembrance to try and be polite.

"Of course you don't," mused Elrond, but offered no explanation. "I propose that you travel with the fellowship to Lothlorien and meet with lady Galadriel and see if she has any explanation for this strange event."

"The fellowship are those around this table, apart from Lord Elrond," murmured Aragorn to Charlotte softly after seeing her confused expression.

"Right. Ok then," said Charlotte to Aragorn then Elrond, a little doubtfully.

"Does anyone strongly object to this?" Elrond asked. Both Legolas and Gimli raised their hands. "What reason do you give? Other than believing she is a spy, Legolas, which we will discuss later."

"We are leaving tomorrow, and it will be a dangerous journey. That girl won't be able to defend herself at all, and will just be a liability," said Gimli.

Elrond nodded in recognition, thinking for a moment. "You shall leave in three days time instead. That should give you more time to prepare, which you needed anyway, and give time to give the girl at least some basic self defence training."

"My name is Charlotte," said she, cross at being known as 'the girl'.

Elrond ignored her. "Any objections?"

Legolas still looked angry at the decision, but Lord Elrond held up a hand to silence him when he looked about to speak. "Good. You may leave," said Elrond to Charlotte. Charlotte hesitated, wanting to stay, but Aragorn shot her a look that suggested that when she was told to leave, she should. Charlotte stood, making her way out of the room and shutting the door behind her. Just as she started to walk away, she heard the room erupt into angry voices. Knowing that they would be arguing over her, she couldn't be bothered to listen and walked away to try and find her room again.

After wandering the maze of corridors that was Rivendell for what she guessed was around half an hour, Charlotte finally found her way back to her room. Shoving open the door she walked in and flopped onto the bed, letting her eyes flicker closed just for a moment. Though she wanted to just fall asleep, she forced herself to get up and change out of the beautiful dress. They hadn't given her anything else to wear, but she found the t-shirt she had been wearing earlier, that had escaped the blood stains by being under her hoodie, and the leggings she had been wearing. She tugged them on, ignoring the mess they were in, and climbed into the bed and under the covers. Charlotte tried to sleep, but was unsuccessful. Her mind was plagued with thoughts and worries, over whether she would be allowed to stay here with Legolas' objections, what she would do if she wasn't, how to get home, and a million other things. Her thoughts wandered to her family at home, and wondered if they were missing her. If they were mourning her loss. Before she realised it, tears of desperation had started to roll down her cheeks, carving a clean pathway through the dirt. As she pictured her family and thought of the chance that she could never see them again, she began to cry properly. Burying her face in the pillow to try and silence the crying, she was startled by a knock at the door. "What?" she snapped, voice shaky and uncertain.

"I came to tell you the final outcome of our... discussion," said a voice she recognised as Aragorn's.

"Oh. Come in then," said Charlotte softly, after trying to hastily scrub away her tears with the covers.

Aragorn pushed open the door and walked over to Charlotte. "May I sit down?" he asked as she sat up in the bed. Charlotte nodded.

Aragorn was about to begin to explain, when he stopped. "Have you been crying?" he asked, noticing her red, tear stained face.

"No," said Charlotte weakly as she dragged her hand across her eyes crossly.

"You have," stated Aragorn. "What is wrong?"

"It's just... my family. What if I never see them again? They'll think I'm dead. I should be dead," said Charlotte, voice cracking with emotion.

Aragorn pitied her now. For a while Legolas' arguments had almost convinced him that she was a spy. Yet looking at the bedraggled girl before him, wearing tattered clothes and face stained with dirt and tears, he wondered how he could have ever believed him. "It will be alright. You will find a way home," said Aragorn, trying to comfort her.

"Sorry," muttered Charlotte, "I've ruined all your plans."

"Not at all."

"The others seemed to think so!"

"That's just Legolas. You can't have everyone like you."

"I seem to have no one."

"Don't say that, they will warm to you. Elrond stuck up for you, and whatever anyone says, that counts for a lot."

Charlotte forced a smile through her tears.

"Anyway, the decision was that you could stay. I am to teach you to fight, as best as I can in a few days."

Charlotte gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said genuinely.

Aragorn smiled. "It will be my pleasure, my lady," he said. "You have a fiery streak in you, it seems, and you shall make a good warrior, I predict."

Charlotte smiled, easily this time. Aragorn stood to go.

"I shall leave you in peace. Sleep well, Charlotte. Try not to worry."

"Goodnight," said Charlotte as Aragorn left. She blew out the candle beside the bed, and let sleep draw her in.


	4. Chapter 4

**First, I apologise for the delay in uploading. I've been madly busy with school work, music exams, sport training etc and have had no time to upload. I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I'll do my best to get everything back on track soon. **

Where am I?: Chapter 4

Waking just before dawn from a deep and dreamless sleep, Charlotte hauled herself out of the bed. Tiptoeing over to the window in her room, she pulled back the curtain and peeped out curiously. What she saw amazed her. The sky was filled with a bright and beautiful array of colours as the sun creeped from behind the snow-capped mountains in the distance and up into the sky. She pushed open the window and leant on the sill, eyes glued to the landscape before her. For a few minutes she could forget everything and just let herself be absorbed by the sunrise. She glanced down and was surprised to notice that there were already many people coming and going in the courtyard below, even though the hour was so early. It was nice, she thought, to be able to observe without being observed. Looking closer at the faces of those below, she noticed the elf called Legolas and a frown creased her face. He seemed to be arguing with someone again, though she could not tell who. The odd word or snatch of a sentence drifted towards her, and she gathered that he was complaining that they should be leaving now. Charlotte sighed, feeling guilty, and the peace of her thoughts was shattered. She didn't belong here. This wasn't her home or her world.

Still deep in thought, she didn't hear the approaching footsteps or the opening of her door until she heard a voice behind her. "It's a beautiful view, isn't it." Charlotte almost jumped out of her skin, head whirling round in shock to see Aragorn. Once she had recovered she spoke.

"Yes, it is beautiful," she replied. "Did you not think to knock?"

"I saw you from below, and I didn't think to. I apologise, my lady," he said.

"Don't call me that," said Charlotte firmly.

Aragorn was about to protest, but decided to leave it. This girl didn't know the ways of their home, and if she wished to not be called that then there was no need to complain. "I've got you some clothes," he said. "You need to be ready to train as soon as possible. I'll meet you in the courtyard." His voice was gruff again, the earlier softness gone. He left the room, throwing a pile of clothes onto the unmade bed. Charlotte went out over, picking up the garments to examine them. There was a large cotton shirt of some sort and some leathery trousers, along with other clothes of a similar kind. She was delighted to see that there was no dress, as she was fairly tomboyish and usually hated to wear a dress of any form. Quickly she changed and yanked a brush she found through her unruly curls, then tugged them back into a ponytail. Hurriedly she threw open the door and strode along the corridor and down the stairs to find her way outside.

Charlie made her way to the courtyard, walking over to where Aragorn stood a little apprehensively. Aragorn glanced up from his conversation with an elf, who hurried away. "Follow me," he said, after looking her briefly up and down. She did as she was told, unusually quiet as they walked away from the courtyard. Aragorn led her to a grassy clearing just away from the courtyard and handed her a wooden pole. "We'll start with basics," he began, hence why he had not handed her a sword. "Defence is what you will need most, so you need to learn how to block blows from attackers."

So began the lesson. It was incredibly hard work, more so than Charlotte had expected, and only when the sun was high in the sky was she allowed to finish: sweating and out of breath.

"Back here after lunch," was all Aragorn said before he walked away, back to the main house. Charlie followed after she had caught her breath, hoping to find some food somewhere to have lunch. Reaching the house, she headed inside. Sounds of voices and chatter came from a nearby room and she made her way there, entering as inconspicuously as possible. The room was filled with people, talking as they filled plates with the wide array of food which lay on tables around the room. Charlie recognised the faces of Legolas and Gimli, along with some other of those who had been around the table the night before. Softly she shut the door behind her, and picked up a plate. Just as she had collected her food and was starting to eat, she heard footsteps behind her and turned to face the approaching person. It was Legolas. Charlotte glared at him stonily. "What do you want?" she snapped.

"Preferably? For you to leave," responded the fair headed elf.

"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen any time soon."

"You are not welcome here, not truly by any of us. Once we set out the others will all realise that you are merely a burden and you shall soon be left behind, as carrion for the crows."

Charlie straightened herself up, feeling intimidated by Legolas. Though she was tall, he was almost a head taller than her, and looked down on her as if she were a child. "What makes you think I will be such a burden? I bet I can easily keep up with you."

"This is sure to be a dangerous journey, and you cannot fight. Not only will we have to watch our own backs, we will have to watch yours also. Mark my words, you won't last out the week." With that, Legolas turned and walked away, leaving Charlie unable to come up with a suitable retort. Feeling doubtful of her place here, she finished her meal and wandered outside.


End file.
